Again it is our pleasure to thank
the Lord for His overruling Providence which has kept us faithful to Him; and
we also give thanks for all the Lord's faithful people. We are grateful for the
many blessings we have received during the past year. "They that trust in
the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot by removed, but abideth forever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his
people from henceforth even forever." (Psalms 125:1, 2) "Blessed be
the Lord God of Israel from ever­lasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and
Amen." (Psalms 41:13)

"UNDERSEA EXPLORER
FINDS CLUES OF FLOOD: WASHINGTON -The first evidence that humans lived in
an area now covered by the Black Sea -perhaps inundated by the biblical flood
-has been found by a team of explorers.

"'Artifacts at the site are clearly well preserved, with carved
wooden beams, wooden branches and stone tools,' lead researcher Robert Ballard
said.

"'We realize the broad significance the discovery has and we' re
going to do our best to learn more,' Ballard said in a telephone interview
Tuesday from his ship off the northern coast of Turkey.

"Fredrick Hiebert of the University of Pennsylvania, the
team's chief archaeologist, said the discovery 'represents the first concrete
evidence for occupation of the Black Sea coast prior to its flooding.

"'This is a major discovery that will begin to rewrite the
history of the cultures in this key area between Europe. Asia and the ancient
Middle East.' Hiebert said.

"The remnants of human habitation were found in more than 300
feet of water about 12 miles off Turkey. Many ancient Middle Eastern cultures
have legends of a great flood, including the Bible story of Noah.

"Columbia University researchers William Ryan and Walter
Pittman speculated in their 1997 book 'Noah's Flood' that when the European
glaciers melted, about 7.000 years ago. the Mediterranean Sea overflowed into a
smaller freshwater lake to create the Black Sea.

"Last year Ballard found indications of an ancient coastline
miles out from the current Black Sea coast. The new discovery provides evidence
that people lived in that now inundated region.

"Ballard, a National
Geographic Society explorer in residence, said he studied shells found along
the ancient coastline and found two types. One group is an extinct type of
freshwater shell, while the second is from saltwater shellfish.

"'So we know that there was a sudden and dramatic change from
a freshwater lake to a saltwater sea 7.000 years ago.' he said Tuesday.

"'And we know that as a
result of that flood a vast amount of land went under water. And we now know
that that land was inhabited. What we don't know is who these people are, we
don't know how broad their settlements were… but we're expanding our studies to try to determine
that.”.. (By Randolph E. Schmid, Winston-Salem Journal,
September 13, 2000)

SPACECRAFT SURVIVES BIG HIT: A NASA spacecraft on a
seven-year mission to collect comet dust survived a zap from an enormous solar
flare this month. The Stardust spacecraft was blinded after it was hit November 9 by a storm of
high-energy particles 100,000 times more intense than usual. according to the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The spacecraft was 130 million miles away from the
sun when it was hit. The flare interfered with the spacecraft’s star cameras,
leaving it unable to use its primary method of orienting itself in space until the
system was reset two days later." (Orlando Sentinel, November 25, 2000)

"DISCOVERY: An international team of researchers exploring the bottom
of the Dead Sea in a submarine has discovered what it believes are the ruins of
the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah -described in the Book of Genesis as
evil cities which were destroyed with fire and brimstone as Divine punishment.

"The dives -for which the
submarine had to be weighted with lead to counteract the buoyancy of the
extremely salty water -nearly sparked an international incident, since the Dead
Sea is a military zone along the shared border of Israel and Jordan, and
military authorities at 'one point ordered the ship out of Jordanian waters."

(World Jewry,
April 2000)

"FOSSILS ADD FUEL TO NEW THEORY OF LIFE: Tiny formations discovered in
Australian rock add new weight 'to the theory that life on Earth originated not
in a 'warm little pond,' as Darwin thought, but in scalding, volcano-heated
ocean depths where sunlight never entered.

"The rocks contain what are
thought to be fossils of single-celled organisms 3.2 billion years old.

"The cradle of life may have
been a sulfurous, subterranean inferno, not unlike a medieval vision of hell,'
said Birger Rasmussen, a paleobiologist at the University of Western Australia
who reported the find in today's issue of the journal Nature.

"The fossil-like traces are
600 million years younger than the earliest chemical evidence of life on Earth.
But the find pushes back by 2.7 billion years the fossil evidence of microbes
living around hot springs at the bottom of the sea.

The formations appear to be
threadlike organisms, measuring a thousandth of a millimeter in diameter and a
tenth of a millimeter long, that would have gotten their energy from chemicals
such as sulfur, rather than sunlight, Rasmussen said.

"'Deep beneath the ocean,
hot springs would have been attractive habitats for primitive microbes,
protected from the effects of early planetary bombardments, and bathed in a
rich brew of metals and nutrients,' Rasmussen said. 'Such environments could
have provided a safe setting for life hundreds of millions of years before
Earth's surface was habitable. '

The
findings do not settle the debate about how life started on Earth. The microbes
could have migrated from somewhere else." (Associated Press, June 8,
2000)

"OBJECT HAS TINY CHANCE OF COLLIDING WITH EARTH: LOS ANGELES -Scientists have
spotted a small asteroid or a piece of space junk that they say has a 1-in-5000
chance of hitting the Earth in 30 years -far greater odds than any similar
object ever discovered.

"If it is an asteroid and it hits the planet, 'it would be equivalent to a fairly
sizable nuclear blast,' said Donald Yeomans. For now, though, that is 'fairly
low in terms of concern,' he said.

"The orbit -circular, close
to the sun and in about the same plane of Earth's -is unusual for an asteroid,
leading to suspicions that it might be a used rocket stage, possibly one
jettisoned from an Apollo launch in the 1970s, scientists said.

"Such
an object would have far less mass and would pose no danger to Earth because it would burn in the atmosphere." (Excerpts from
Associated Press, November 4, 2000)

IN FINANCE

2000! What a year. Everybody was
expecting a computer glitch that could have fowled up everything from factories
to airlines. Many people stayed home for the New Year.

The
presidential election, which at this time is in chaos, looks as if for the
first time the presidential election will be decided by the Supreme Court.
[This has now occurred.]

The next president will preside
over a gradually slowing economy according to The Wall Street Journal. GDP gains will eased from four
and a half to three and a half in '01. Unemployment is up and the economy is
definitely cooling. The Federal Reserve ordered six interest rate hikes this
past year. This past week Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman, indicated he may
suggest lower interest rates. ­

The
Stock Market reacted to this with two of the best days this year. The Stock
Market is starting to report about profits by the Dot-Com Companies. They have
not produced profits as it was expected. Many will fall by the wayside.

After
six years of record profits the Bank Stocks are reporting lower profits on bank
loans. One of the largest top five banks is reporting a $100 billion loss. This
has brought stocks of most large banks skidding to a record low.

Gold
was low in the nineties and is still at an all time low now. Gold was once the
standard currency of the world.

Recession
is starting to surface in conversations on Wall Street and around Washington.
The first time since a mild, brief downturn in 1990-1991 there is growing
consumer debt, tightening credit, rising bankruptcies and problem bank loans.

The
soft-landing forecast is fragile, vulnerable to surprises such as a deeper
stock slump, weakness abroad, all-out war in the Mideast, a worsening credit
crunch, broader employee layoffs at high-tech firms, a steep decline in
consumer confidence from a rising unemployment rate.

In this Time of Trouble we need
to watch for the "times and seasons" of the Lord. "But of the
times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you."
(1 Thes. 5: 1)

IN RELIGION

JEHOVAH'S
WITNESSES: The
Witnesses often change their teaching as the chameleon changes its color. Their
followers swallow what they are told without examining it, since they believe
their organization is teaching the Lord's Word. A few of them are question­ing
when they are told not to bother looking up the Scriptures, but just accept
what their leaders tell them. Jesus said, "Search the scriptures .....
(John 5:39) And the ancient Bereans "searched the scriptures daily"
to see if the things told them were so (Acts 17:11).

Shortly
after Brother Russell's death the Witnesses were told that he was still running
the Society from heaven. That was so foolish, as it seemed like God was no
longer bothering to take care of His people. That error didn't last very long.
So they changed their teaching again and have changed it many times since. Last
year they changed for a little better and are actually teaching some truth.
Some people say "maybe the orga­nization is cleansing itself." But
the Lord does not cleanse organizations. He does cleanse individuals of these
organizations of the errors they had been taught. "Neither do persons put
new wine into old skins; for if they do, the skins burst, and the wine is
spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but they put new wine into new skins and
both are preserved." (Matt. 9:17, Dia., see also verse 16)

THE
LAYMENS HOME MISSIONARY MOVEMENT: It is with regret that we see the Laymen's Home Missionary
Movement has published some of its errors in three recent magazines. They have
not published their errors so freely for some time, but we understand they have
continued to teach them privately.

In the
November-December Present Truth on page 86 the question is asked: "Is
there any difference between consecrations that are made before and those made
after the Highway of Holiness (Isa. 35:8) is opened? Answer: So far as the
consecrations themselves are concerned, if they are true consecrations, there
is no difference. As is pointed out in P'55, pp. 41,42, where this subject is
treated in considerable detail, 'The only kind of consecration that has ever
been or ever will be acceptable to God is the unreserved laying down or
surrender of one's own will in all things, in the same spirit in which Jesus
consecrated Himself (Psa. 40:8; Heb. 10:7).’”Both texts refer to Jesus' consecration.

Our answer: Consecration during
the Kingdom does not require anything but faith and obedience the same as was
required of Adam. There is nothing said about sacrificing. The LHMM say the
consecrations in the Kingdom would be in the same spirit of Jesus, and cites
Psalms 40:8 and Hebrews 10:7. Only the saints "die with Christ."

The first elect class is in
Hebrews, chapter II, and are Ancient Worthies. The Gospel Age elect are the
Saints first then the crown-lost (Great Company), who were spirit begotten, but
were remanded to the Great Multitude of Revelation 7:9 and are not numbered.
The saints were numbered 144,000 in Revelation 7:4, but the other three elect
classes are not numbered.

The
saints were gathered from all nations during the Harvest of the Gospel Age and
in the Gleaning before Brother Russell died. We believe the text of Psalms 50:5
was given to That Servant: "Gather my saints together [in one unit] unto
me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." Brother Russell
went to many nations to "gather the saints." Of course his faithful
followers helped him with this mission of gathering the saints. It was the
first time that the saints were gathered in one unit. During the time before
the Harvest the saints were in the denominations, or alone most of the time in
the Dark Ages.

The
Ancient and Youthful Worthies are under the faith covenant, which requires
Faith and Obedience. However, they have to sacrifice at times when it is
required in order to be obedient (See Heb. 11:33, 36, 37). But quite a few were
faithful and obedient and did not sacrifice: Abel, Enoch, the harlot Rahab, et
al, as shown in Hebrews 11. The Youthful Worthies don't sacrifice unless to be
faithful and obedient they have to sacrifice. However, we are now living in a
time that the only persecution we get is from some of the truth friends. Of
course, we don't consider the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses as Bible
Students.

We are
living in such a time that the denominations do not persecute us. Brother
Russell gave three ways to know the door is closed, the second way fits the
time we are now living in: "By such a reversal of public sentiment with
reference to the truth, that fidelity and zeal in its service would no longer
meet with opposition, and when suffering with Christ for the truth's sake (Rom.
8:17) would be no longer possible." (Volume 3, page 207)

We
will discuss other errors that appeared in the magazines of the LHMM last year
in a future paper. We do not have the space in this paper.

"EVOLUTION ISSUE TURNS ELECTION INTO SPECTACLE:Kansas rejects candidates who favor creationism. CHICAGO -Voters in Kansas have
repudiated the state school board's removal of human evolution from the state
science standards, making it almost certain the decision will be overturned.

"In a Republican primary on
Tuesday, voters defeated three conservative candidates who supported the
decision, made by the Kansas Board of Education a year ago. In the first board
election since then, voters chose three moderate Republicans who pledged to
return evolution to the science standards. And those three will run in November
against Democrats who also support evolution. The election assures a majority
on the board supporting evolution.

"'I think parents want their
kids to have a strong competitive education,' said Sue Gamble, a moderate
Republican who defeated the school board chairwoman, Linda Holloway, a
conservative.” The message was that that includes a full set of science
standards and that includes evolution.'

"While the board vote last
August did not prevent schools from teaching evolution, it effectively removed
evolution as the sole explanation for the origin of species, as well as the Big
Bang theory of the origin of the universe, from state student assessment tests.

"Last year's 6-4 decision
was considered one of the most significant victories for those who believe the
species were created by God or conservatives who favor an 'intelligent
designer.' Proponents of such theories have stepped up their activism, prompting
states like Kentucky and Oklahoma to dilute the teaching of evolution. Many
other states, wresting with evolution debates, too, had their eyes on Kansas.

"'Kansas has been sort of
ground zero,' said Ralph G. Neas, president of People for the American Way, a
civil liberties group that supports the teaching of evolution. 'And a lot of
states will be taking a look at this very seriously.'

"The issue has transformed a
normally obscure election into a lightning rod for the evolution debate.

"Campaigns that normally
raised no more than a few hundred dollars got tens of thousands of dollars in
contributions, some from out of state. Candidates ran television commercials.

"And Democrats switched
parties just to vote in the Republican primary. In the end, only one of the
four conservatives running won, Steve Abrams of Arkansas City, a board member
who helped write the standards approved last year.

"Holloway, the former
chairwoman, said she 'had no idea it would be that much of a defeat.' Holloway,
who believes that evolution can be taught alongside creationism or other
theories, said, 'There is clearly still a misunderstanding of what we did.'

"'One thing I'm very elated
about is I don't believe the discussion about evolution will ever be the same
again,' Holloway said. "'People are looking at it with a more critical eye
rather than swallowing it hook, line and sinker.'" (By Pam Belluck, N.Y. Times News
Service, August 3,
2000)

CATHOLICS: "POPE PIUS XII: Historians pose new questions to
Vatican. VATICAN
CITY -Roman Catholic and Jewish historians examining Pope Pius XII's actions
during the Holocaust have put the Vatican on the spot.

"After an 11-month study, they concluded that published
Vatican material on World War II leaves many important questions unanswered and
urged the Vatican to open up its archives.

"There has been no immediate
response from the Vatican. Its chief spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said it
was premature. He noted the commission of three Catholic and three Jewish
scholars, issued its 'preliminary report' only last week.

"The report, and remarks by
commission members at a news conference, raised explosive questions about what
Pius XII and his top aides were doing as reports of the persecution of Jews
across Europe reached the Vatican.

"The panel was formed by the
Vatican and Jewish groups to examine accusations that Pius did not speak out
forcefully enough against the Holocaust. For Jews, the issue took on urgency
when the Vatican appeared to have put Pius on a fast track for beatification,
the last step before possible sainthood.

"Since the first controversy
surrounding Pius' role during the Holocaust arose in the 1960s with Rolf
Hochhuth's play 'The Deputy,' the Vatican has consistently defended its wartime
pope. It said he worked prudently for peace and was thanked by Jews for his
efforts.

"At a Vatican news
conference a year ago, two church representatives denied the Vatican ever
received concrete evidence of the extent of Hitler's campaign to exterminate
the Jews.

"One of them, Cardinal Pio
Laghi, said at that time that while modern satellites Can detect 'a cow in the
field in Nicaragua,' it is unfair to judge the World War II era by such
standards.

"In posing specific queries
to the Vatican, the commission appeared to challenge the Vatican's contention
that it was unaware of the extent of the tragedy.

"The report cites
'astonishingly detailed accounts of killings' by the chaplain of a hospital
train in 1942. It recalls how a Ukrainian Catholic bishop 'described with sharp
clarity the atrocities and mass murder' against Jews and the local population
that same year.

"'There is evidence that the
Holy See was well-informed by mid-1942 of the accelerating mass murder of
Jews,' the report said. 'Questions continue to be asked about the reception of
this news and what attention was given to it. How thoroughly informed was the
Vatican regarding details of Nazi persecution and extermination? What was the
Holy See's reaction, and what discussions followed reports that flowed in
describing evidence of the Final Solution."

The Rev. Gumpel, a Jesuit who has
been documenting the case for Pius' beatification, called the questions leading
and loaded.' Gumpel denied that the beatification has been put on hold. as some
have suggested, saying he is still putting together material to make the case.

"'It is absolutely open when and if' the beatification would be
approved, Gumpel told The Associated Press. 'I personally think it will.'

"The commission examined
documents published by the Vatican in 11 volumes between 1965 and 1981. ..” (By Victor L. Simpson, Winston-Salem Journal,
November 4, 2000)

"ROME: New documents have turned up in a Roman flea market confirming
that Pope Pius XII was briefed about the Holocaust as early as 1941. A local
journalist and book collector, Fabrizio
Coisson. recently bought four volumes that turned out to be file copies of
secret reports written for the eyes of the pope by the British ambassador to
the Vatican, D'Arcy Osborne. Coisson has no idea how they reached the market
stall. Osborne, who spent most of the war inside the Vatican, compiled reports
of European news which he picked up on short-wave radio from the BBC in London.
He passed these on to the pope, at first once a week, then daily. On 21
September, 1940, for example, Osborne writes: 'Experiments have been made on
gassing sick or mentally deficient children in Germany.' On 14 March, 1941, he reports:
'However incredible it may seem, there have been reprisals against the Jews in
Nazi territories.' He continued to pass on reports of Nazi atrocities against
the Jews and others. The new revelations are expected to reinforce Jewish
protests at Vatican plans to declare Pius XII a saint." (The Jerusalem Report, June 19, 2000)

"ROME: Although they lost the
battle to block the beatification of Pope Pius IX, Italian Jews vowed to
continue against the anti-Semitism and narrow clericalism represented by the
19th century pontiff. Pius IX enacted laws against the Jews in 1849 and
authorized the abduction of a Jewish boy, who became a priest. Pope John Paul
II announced the beatification. one stage short of sainthood, in St. Peter's
Square on September 3. The president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities
Amoz Luzzato, told The
Report they
would now concentrate on developing and strengthening the ties they forged with
'the best part' of Italian Catholics, as well as with the Protestant and Muslim
minorities. 'The problem,' he said, 'was never to interfere with the internal
affairs of the Church, but to make people aware that Pius IX was a racist who
opposed the development of Italy into a modern state. We took the lead, drawing criticism from many
sides, but it was worth it.” (The Jerusalem Report, September 25, 2000)

"CARDINAL: Vatican still awaiting Jews'
conversion. LONDON -Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a leader of the Vatican's
conservative wing has created a storm by declaring that the Catholic Church is
waiting for Israel and Jews to embrace Christianity.

"The statement, contained in a new book by one of the closest
aides to Pope John Paul II. is likely
to affect Catholic-Jewish relations.

"Ratzinger, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith. the guardian of Vatican orthodoxy, is quoted by the German Magazine Focus as writing: 'Catholics do not want
to impose Christ on the Jews, but they are waiting for the moment when Israel
also says yes to Christ.'

"The comment is expected to ignite a firestorm among Jews in
the Diaspora and cause dismay among those convinced that relations with the
Vatican had improved.

"Ratzinger's comment came a week after he issued another
Vatican document, Declaration Dominus Jesus, which effectively delegitimized
non-Catholic churches by characterizing them as 'gravely deficient.'

"Commenting on last week' s
declaration, which carried the authority of the pope, British Chief Rabbi
Jonathan Sacks expressed dismay at the 'mixed messages from the Vatican right
now.. the personal initiatives of the pope… [and] this very conservative voice...
which does seem to belong to an earlier age.· .. (The Jerusalem Post. September
22, 2000)

"LETTER COULD HURT UNITY: VATICAN CITY -One of Pope John Paul II's closest aides has
written to bishops worldwide declaring that the Catholic church is the 'mother'
of other Christian churches, a move that could hurt Vatican efforts toward
unity with other believers.

"The Vatican had no comment
on the document yesterday, which was reported Friday by the Italian religious
news agency Adista.

"In the document, Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger told the bishops that it was incorrect to refer to Christian
churches, ranging from Orthodox to Protestant, as 'sister' churches of the
Catholic church. (Winston-Salem
Journal Wire Service, September 3, 2000)

"ALL RELIGIONS AREN'T EQUAL, VATICAN SAYS IN STATEMENT: Catholic Church is called only
source of salvation. VATICAN CITY -In a declaration carrying the full authority
of an infallible teaching, the Vatican said this week that the Roman Catholic
Church is the only 'instrument for the salvation of all humanity.'

"The 36-page 'Declaration
Dominus Jesus’ ('On the Unicity and Sa1vific Universality of Jesus Christ and
the Church') expressed 'sincere respect' for other religions but attacked
'religious relativism which leads to the belief that one religion is as good as
another.
'

"'If it is true that the followers
of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that
Objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison
with those who, in the church, have the fullness of the means of salvation, '
the Vatican said of non-Christian religions. It called non-Catholic Christian
bodies 'defective. '

"Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued the
document at a Vatican news conference as part of what appeared to be an ongoing
effort by the Vatican to reassert traditional Catholic doctrine.

"Ratzinger said in a recent
letter to bishops' conferences throughout the world that the Catholic Church is
the 'mother' of all Christian churches and told them to stop referring to the Orthodox
Anglican and Protestant churches as 'sister' churches.

"AND LAST SUNDAY, Pope John
Paul II beatified Pope Pius IX, a conservative 19th century pontiff who
proclaimed the doctrines of papal infallibility and the Immaculate Conception
of the Virgin Mary but also fought the unification of Italy, restricted
religious freedom and locked Rome's Jews into a ghetto.

"The new declaration raised
concern among some other churches. In London, Archbishop of Canterbury George
Carey, spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, called Ratzinger's
statements 'unjustified' and said they did 'not reflect the deep comprehension
that has been reached (by Catholics and Anglicans) through ecumenical dialogue
and cooperation during the past 30 years.'

"In Geneva, the World
Council of Churches warned that the growth of ecumenical dialogue could be
'hindered -or even damaged' by what it called 'language which precludes
further discussion of the issues.'

But Cardinal William Keeler of
Baltimore, a leader in the Catholic Church's dialogue with both the Orthodox
churches and the Jews, said that Ratzinger's pronouncement is 'in full accord
with what Vatican II has said.'

Keeler, who attended the Vatican
news conference, said he did not expect the new declaration to have a negative
effect on ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.

"In England, Archbishop
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster, the chairman of the department of
mission and unity of the Catholic bishops' conference of England and Wales,
said that the new document 'does not attempt to change the teaching of the
Catholic Church regarding ecumenism.'

"He said its main purpose
was to warn against a tendency to regard all religions as equivalent and it was
written principally for Catholic bishops and theologians.

"'Certainly no slight is
intended by its comments regarding other Christian communities,' he said. 'As
Christians we share a common baptism, .and the Catholic Church believes this
brings us all into a real, if imperfect, communion. This was made clear in the documents
of the Second Vatican Council, where it said that other Christians 'with good
reason are accepted as our brothers and sisters.· .. (By Peggy Polk,
Religion News Service, September 9, 2000)

BAPTIST: "TEXAS BAPTISTS SEND MESSAGE BY HOLDING BACK $5 MILLION: CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
-Texas' 2.7 million Baptists dealt a severe blow to the Southern Baptist
Convention on Monday, withdrawing $5 million in funding on the grounds that the
denomination is becoming too conservative.

"After a brief, civil debate, the 6,000 representatives of the Texas Baptists approved the move by a sizable
majority by holding up voting cards. "Earlier this month, former President
Carter severed ties to the Southern Baptist Convention because of its
'increasingly rigid' creed.

"In recent years, the Southern Baptists have barred female
pastors, declared that wives should 'submit graciously' to their husbands,
boycotted Disney, and issued resolutions condemning homosexuality.

"On Monday, the Texans voted to cut the amount of money they
give to Southern Baptist seminaries by about 80 percent next year and send the
$4 million instead to three moderate campuses in Texas.

"The Texans will still send about $19 million to the denomination,
mostly for missionary work in the United States and abroad.

"The Rev. Claude Thomas of
Euless, Texas, who chairs the national body's executive committee, said, 'I am
distressed emotionally. I am distressed because of the impact this is going to
have on the churches of Texas [that] are going to have to make decisions they
don't want to make. , .. (Excerpts from Associated Press, October 31, 2000)

LUTHERAN: "LUTHERANS OFFER AMENDS: BERLIN -Germany' s
Lutheran church has acknowledged sharing guilt for the Holocaust in the
clearest terms yet and called on its 27 million members to make a fresh start
in relations with the Jewish community.

"A national convention of Lutheran leaders passed a
resolution late Thursday saying that the church was guilty not only of 'silence
and failure' during the Nazi era but also that its 'disastrous tradition of
alienation and enmity towards the Jews' helped prepare the ground for the
Holocaust.

"That tradition has hampered
efforts to rebuild relations with the Jewish community since the end of World
War II, the resolution said, even though the Lutheran Church in Germany first
acknowledged its guilt 50 years ago." (Wire Service, November 11, 2000)

EPISCOPALIAN:
"BISHOPS SLATE
CHALLENGE: ROSEMONT, PA -Anglican archbishops from overseas who oppose the
Episcopal Church USA's liberal views on homosexuality are challenging the
denomination's leadership by staging their own confirmation service here. The
presiding bishops of Kenya, Uganda, Congo, and Sydney, Australia, are expected
to attend or send delegates to Sunday's confirmation by Archbishop Maurice
Sinclair of Argentina. They oppose the practice by the Episcopal Church, the U.
S. branch of Anglicanism, of ordaining gay men and lesbians and allowing clergy
to bless same-sex unions. (Orlando Sentinel, November 25, 2000)

"EPISCOPAL, LUTHERAN CHURCHES CREATE ALLIANCE: DENVER
-Episcopal Church leaders approved a historic pact yesterday with the nation's
largest Lutheran denomination, voting to create an alliance in which the churches
will share clergy, sacraments and strategy.

"The Episcopal Church's House of Deputies, made up of 832
priests and lay people, overwhelmingly approved the agreement, one day after it
won approval from the other chamber of the church's legislature, the House of
Bishops.

"Leaders of the 5.2 million-member
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America approved the alliance last year.
"'It enables our two churches to work together in ,a' shared mission to
our broken and hurting wor1d,' said the Rev. Donald Brown, a co-chairman of
ecumenical relations for the 2.4
million-member Episcopal Church. 'Both our communities will be living into
reality Jesus' prayer that all his followers might be one,' said Brown." (Journal
Wire Report, July 9,
2000)